![]() With volume and source remote-controllable, the Reference Two is a reviewer's best friend.Ĭontinuing a long Audio Research tradition, the rear panel's right-channel row of inputs and outputs is placed above the left-channel row. The slim, compact remote control duplicates all of the front-panel controls except for the balanced/single-ended switch, which, after the initial input configuration, you won't need to adjust anyway. Once configured, a memory feature automatically switches between single-ended and balanced inputs as you switch through the input choices. Four toggle switches control power, muting, balanced/single-ended in, and phase. Similar spring-loaded electronic switches control the eight selectable inputs and the seven-position tape-monitor facility, giving you the option of listening to one source while taping another. There are far fewer than 125 LEDs around the knobs-the level and balance can be changed by many steps before any change is reflected in the LED display. ![]() Hold the switch to the left or right and the gain increases or decreases continually, measured by a succession of LEDs surrounding the gain and balance knobs on the unit's face. Turn the volume control quickly in either direction and release, and the level rises or drops by a single step. In place of traditional mechanical potentiometers or stepped attenuators, the volume and balance controls are spring-loaded on/off switches that control the electronic attenuator's 125 steps. ![]() The fully balanced gain section, rated at 2V RMS balanced (maximum output is 30V RMS) and 1V single-ended, uses eight specially selected Sovtek dual-triode 6922 tubes, while the onboard power supply consists of a 5AR4 rectifier tube, with the resultant DC regulated by a 6L6GC and a 6922. As in ARC's Reference phono section, the Reference Two's pair of vertically mounted circuit boards results in a single, relatively tall chassis. Audio Research's first 21st-century, audiophile-quality line-stage preamplifier combines retro-tech vacuum-tube amplification and power-supply circuitry with innovative, remote-controlled gain, balance, tape monitoring, and signal routing. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |